Reversible railroad-rail



(No Model.)

B. B. BURNS.

REVERSIBLE RAILROAD RAIL.

No. 408,078. Patented July 30, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT BRUCE BURNS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

REVERSIBLE RAILROAD-RAIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,078, dated July 30, 1889.

Application filed September 15, 1888. Serial No. 285,499. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT BRUCE BURNs, a citizen of the'United. States, residing in the city an d county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reversible Railroad-Rails, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying d rawi n g s.

My invention relates to improvements in reversible railroad-rails; and it consistsin arailroad-rail having a double wearing-surface, as hereinafter described and claimed, whereby when one surface has become worn the other surface can be presented for use.

Figure 1. represents a transverse sectional view of a double reversible rail embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a similar view of a modification thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the base of the rail, which is formed with flanges B on opposite sides at the lower parts, respectively, said flanges not extendin so far laterally as the treads O.

O designates the treads of the rail, formed on the upper and lower face of the base, as shown, also diagonally to each other.

In Fig. 1 the upper and lower faces of the base of the rail are flat, except as to the raised tread (1, so that there is no rut or depressed channel on said faces. From this construction it is evident that. two \vearingsurfaces 5 are provided on the rail.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I provide a rail having two similarly constructed wearing-surfaces, each of which may be brought into use.

The rail is supported on the stringer, and may be secured thereto by double-pointed spikes, which engage the bottom flange and tread of the rail, as shown in dotted lines.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the rail is formed with three wearing-surfaces, the flanges B in this case each serving asthe tread of the rail in addition to the tread (1, the bottom treads affording means for spiking or connecting the rails with the stringer.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A reversible rail having a base with treads on the upper and lower faces and side flanges, the treads extending laterally farther than the flanges, substantially as described.

2. A reversible rail having a base with treads 'on the upper and lower faces, the remaining portions of said faces being flat and having flanges extending laterally on the opposite sides at the upper and lower parts, respectively, substantially as described.

3. A reversible rail havin a flat base adapted to rest on a suitable support, flanges on said base for securing the rail, and treads on the upper and lower faces of the base arranged diagonally opposite to each other, substantially as described.

' R. BRUCE BURNS.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERs'HEIM, A. P. JENNINGS. 

